Space Case: Galactic Civilizations III is a 4X Work in Progress

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Space: the final frontier. Eventually.

By Robert Zacny

When you launch into the Galactic Civilizations III alpha, you get a disclaimer imploring you to “please be aware that the game isn't actually, well, fun yet.” Stardock isn't kidding with this statement: GalCiv III is truly in alpha state right now, and it's more a preview of coming attractions than any kind of functional strategy game. Anyone considering paying for Early Access to this alpha should set aside any illusions that they will actually be playing the game. GalCiv III will eventually be a 4X space strategy game. Its alpha is a 3X, at best.

The current build of the game lacks three huge features that haven't been implemented yet, and without them, it's hard to say just how well GalCiv III will end up coming together. First, the AI is non-responsive, and there is no diplomacy system to foster interaction anyway. They will occasionally build ships (more by happenstance than design) and they're quite eager to colonize every planet under every sun. But there's nothing you can do with them except conquer them, and that will prove very, very easy.

Second, ship customization is missing, and that's really a key component of how technology works in GalCiv. In fact, the tech tree is designed around the assumption that you'll be making modular improvements to ship designs. Right now, you just have to forge blindly ahead until you unlock a new per-existing ship template.

But don't worry about it too much, because not only is the AI unfinished, but there is no combat system, either. Everything is auto-calculated and in dozens of fights, I've lost just one single ship.

None of this is to say GalCiv III is a bad game because, from my point of view, it isn't a game at all yet. This alpha is a system test. It's the frame of a house that's still under construction. What the final product will look like, and how good it will be, is largely down to the job developer Stardock does of filling in all these gigantic blanks.

Still, there are causes for optimism and causes for concern. Galactic Civilizations III is, unsurprisingly, a lot like its immediate predecessor. That's understandable: it's Stardock's most successful game of all time, and it's definitely a “if it ain't broke…” situation. On the other hand, GalCiv has always placed an emphasis on the sheer size of space. That's great for evoking the sweep and majesty of a space empire, but it also makes for a formidable managerial workload. Even playing on a small map with no opposition to speak of, I found that there were always a ton of little things that needed my attention. Given the pace of technological change, a build queue only gets you so far.

On the other hand, GalCiv at least gives you some interesting rules regarding building placement. Each planet only has so many slots for buildings, and a lot of buildings and terrain types have special synergies, so it becomes quite the puzzle figuring out how to get the most of out a given planet. One with ancient ruins is a perfect place to build a network of science centers, but you still need factories to help build those centers and a population to work them. The challenge of min-maxing each planet, with its unique geography and bonuses, makes management a lot more interesting than just going through rote build orders.

I'm still struggling to wrap my head around the tech tree a little bit, and that's partly down to the same sprawling scope that creates such a heavy managerial workload. GalCiv III's tech tree fans out in a ton of different directions, and it's difficult if not impossible to pursue them all. That's good insofar as it forced me to reappraise my priorities with each new technology, but it also made it harder to see where it was headed. It seemed like the choices were a bit too stark, with each technology equating roughly to “more money, more guns, more industry, or more research.” My concern is that, with so little overlap, that technology could end up feeling like more of the same thing as the game continues. Missiles 1, Missiles 2, etc. It might also privilege a research track a little too much, since the scientist civilizations will be able to make strategic shifts a lot more nimbly that someone who is all-in on weapons and industry. On the other hand, that dichotomy could make for some great asymmetry, as warmongers race to cripple other civs before their advantage is undone by progress.

That's all stuff that will become clear in the final product, though. If the AI and battle systems can pull their weight, Galactic Civilizations will be a terrific new edition for one of the strongest space 4X series around. But as all strategy gamers know, AI and combat are big “ifs,” and they're easy to get wrong. Galactic Civilization III has a good foundation, but the hardest part is what comes next.